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The geographical area that today constitutes the Ivory Coast has always been characterized by linguistic and cultural plurality. Since the independence in 1960, creating a common ‘Ivorian national identity’ has been a goal for policy makers. However, due to the recent crises in the country, this goal has not been reached yet. At the same time, for the last years a change in attitudes towards the local languages on the political level can be observed. For instance, policy makers are beginning to take into account the work of the researcher at the Institut de Linguistique Appliquée d’Abidjan (ILA) who have carried out descriptions and codifications of these languages. The aim of this article is to look at the relationship between language policy, languages and the construction of an Ivorian national identity.